* THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF *

* THE CREATION OF HYBRIDS *

The 2015 square pot in which the seedlings matured until 2024.

The seedlings grew and tangled and I observed the first primary flowerings in 2020 and 2021.

First primary flowering in May 2020

The flower is L in size. The inner petals are pink

and the outer petals have orange shades.

Second primary flowering in May 2021

It is also of L size, but has not been able to open completely, because of the neighbouring stems.

This is a different hybrid from the previous one.

The inner petals are pink with a darker central stripe.

This central stripe is wider and redder on the outer petals.

These two hybrids didn't thrill me (I was, I think now, too severe with them),

because they reminded me of 'Arturo' (which I'm about to show you), only less beautiful.

That's why I gave up on this square pot until 2024, when a surprise awaited me.

Primary flowering of a third hybrid in July 2024.

It was the color of this third hybrid that caught my eye.

The flower, measuring over 23 cm in diameter, has white inner petals

and light yellow to bronze outer petals.

Quite a change from the previous hybrids.

And here's a profile picture.

It's this color difference with the first two hybrids that surprised me.

Where did that yellow come from?

Where did the color of the 2020 and 2021 hybrids come from?

Let's take a look at the known parents and grandparents of these 3 hybrids

My first thought was of the father, but only the foraging insect knows him.

The mother of all these hybrids is Epicactus 'Arturo', pictured here:

I then had the curiosity to look at the pedigree of Epicactus 'Arturo'.

Arturo's mother is the famous Epicactus 'Clown', whose pedigree is unknown.

Here's a photo of 'Clown':

'Clown' is very similar to 'Arturo'.

Arturo's father is a yellow-flowered Epicactus, whose name is unknown.

We can therefore assume, but it's only a guess, that the yellow color

of the outer petals of Arturo's hybrid comes from Arturo's father,

i.e. the maternal grandfather of the 'Arturo' Ex Nat hybrid, which flowered in 2024.

I was ready to give a name to the hybrid 2024 when I remembered that there was a step missing.

Never rely on primary flowering.

In fact, subsequent flowerings may differ from the primary flowering.

I'll deal with this point on the next page.

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